Instant gender pay gap for young workers as women choose lower-wage apprenticeships than men

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Men are more likely to go into engineering or construction apprenticeships which pay well, while women more often choose careers in industries such as child development which give lower wagesCredit:
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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Men benefit far more than women financially from apprenticeships as female trainees typically enter lower-paying industries at the very start of their careers.

By the age of 23 men earn an average of between 26pc and 31pc more than women with similar level qualifications, according to a study by economists at the London School of Economics, Centre for Economic Performance and Centre for Vocational Education Research.

As much as half of this gap is due to different choices made by male and female trainees.

“For men, there is very high concentration in sectors where the return to an apprenticeship is high (such as engineering) whereas women specialise in areas where the returns to having an apprenticeship...